The Other Lelouch
by SapphireCuatro
Summary: The Lelouch we know is not the only Lelouch in Britannia. Another person is tied to the Black Prince through a name. Fate can be cruel. HIATUS.
1. Beginning

Hello.

This idea was inspired by my mother, actually. I was watching Code Geass, and she'd watched a little, too. As I tried to explain things to her (it's not very easy), she said, "Are the other characters stupid? How could they not know that Lelouch is the same Lelouch as the prince? He didn't even change his name!"

I thought about this. She'd actually made quite a good point, so to defend the intelligence of the characters I thought that surely there were other Lelouchs in Britannia. Then the name wouldn't really stand out.

Anyway, this is my first Code Geass fic, so please treat it kindly. (But you can feel free to give suggestions).

Disclaimer: I do not own Code Geass. Obviously.

* * *

December 5, 1999 a.t.b.

The people of the Britannian Empire had no way of knowing that a demon had just been born into their midst---and he was on _their_ side.

Certainly, 'demon' was the farthest word from the mother's mind to describe her newborn child. It was her firstborn, a son.

She was tired, as could be expected, but happy that it was over, and eager to see her child. A few minutes later, the doctors placed a bundle of blue blankets into the new mother's arms.

He was a healthy baby boy. She could see that he had inherited her dark hair. His tiny fists were clenched.

The bonding didn't last long. The doctors took him from her a few minutes later, to give the newest member of the Britannian Imperial Family the best care possible.

The newborn's father was nowhere in sight.

...

Shortly after that, in another part of the Britannia, a family waited in the checkout line at a local grocery store. The woman, heavily pregnant, was reading the tabloids.

"I don't see why you even waste your time", said her husband, "It's not even worth the paper it's printed on." He glanced at the headline of one. 'KNIGHT OF EIGHT---MENTALLY ILL, OR MISUNDERSTOOD CROSSDRESSER?' He looked away in disgust, muttering, "What rubbish..."

This Britannian couple was expecting their fourth child. After three boys in a row, they were kind of hoping for a change of pace. Like, say, a girl. Or at least, a boy who wouldn't play tug-of-war over a bag of candy at a grocery store.

"Hey, hey, stop that", the father scolded. He snatched the bag away from his sons and put it back on the shelf. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop touching things?"

"Daddy, can't I have it?" asked the middle child.

"No."

"Daddy_, why_?"

The father, who could sense whining from a mile away and had no tolerance for it, replied, "Because I'm your father, and I said so."

"Mum", said the youngest, tugging on her skirt, "Mum, will you buy me some candy?" She didn't seem to hear him as she continued to read.

"Oh, Marianne the Flash had a baby", she announced to her husband, though he didn't particularly care. "A boy." They moved up in line slightly. "Apparently the paparazzi's had a hard time. Since the baby's royalty, and all. There's pretty heavy security and things. Apparently pictures of the prince are worth a lot right now."

"I don't see why you waste your time", her husband said again, "It's not as though commoners like us will ever have anything to do with the royal family anyway."

"Oh, but apparently the only thing they could learn of the baby was its name", said the wife, who didn't seem to be listening, "Lelouch." She put the tabloid back on the magazine rack as their family's turn approached. "Lelouch. It is on the rarer side, isn't it?"

"I suppose", replied her husband.

She decided right then and there what she wanted to name her child if it was another boy. Her husband had been mistaken. The tabloids _hadn't _been a waste of time.

A couple of months later, this woman became a mother as well, for the fourth time. When her water broke and she began going into labor, she and her husband went to the hospital straightaway. The grandmother, her mother, came to watch the older ones.

It was a boy. And so this Lelouch, named for another Lelouch in a different part of Britannia, came into the world.

* * *

From now on, we'll follow the two Lelouchs in alternating chapters. The chapters might seem short at first but they will get longer as we get further along and things start happening (like the canon events of Code Geass).


	2. First Stage: Lelouch 1

Thank you to Gabrielle3, lidw, and starfruit-22 for reviewing.

We'll start with Lelouch 1.

You don't have to worry. The stories of the two Lelouchs will come together. You just have to give it a little time. I feel like I really shouldn't, you know, skip a decade to get to canon stuff. The time before the 'death' of Marianne was also an important period in Lelouch's life.

Anyway, thank you to those who reviewed, and to those who are following. It will take a while before the story really starts getting intense, so please bear with me. I'll try to move along relatively quickly.

* * *

Aries Villa, 2005 a.t.b.

Lelouch was five years old. In those five years he'd grown into a lean little boy with a head full of hair, soft and dark like his mother's, with deep purple eyes. He had already learned how to read and was making great progress in learning how to write. He'd also gained a full-blooded sibling, a sister named Nunnally.

Nunnally was still a toddler and so of not much interest to him. In fact, she annoyed him more than anything. His mother asked him to please try to get along, but it was easier said than done. How was he supposed to feel when he tried to sit down to play with her and she would grab a fistful of his hair? Or when she would get a hold of some of his books and start tearing the pages? Or when he was trying to play chess and she would come and steal pieces and put them in her mouth?

No, he much preferred his older siblings. He'd only learned how to play chess recently (from Schneizel, who'd been bored). Clovis had helped, although it seemed like he just wanted to hear himself talk.

Only a week or so ago, Schneizel had said that Lelouch was improving every day, and this made Lelouch very proud. Granted, Schneizel had been reading a book and had only been half-paying attention at the time, but still. To be acknowledged in such a way by the one who was the best of the siblings at this game...that was one of the highest forms of praise.

Today Lelouch's opponent was Clovis. This was usually the case. Clovis loved this game as much as Lelouch did and was always the first to volunteer to be the young prince's opponent. However, although he had the passion, Clovis lacked the talent. He moved in a predictable pattern and Lelouch was starting to figure out his moves.

Euphemia liked to serve as the referee. Sometimes Lelouch and Clovis would get into a row, in which case Euphemia would call in the cavalry---Cornelia. This was a worst-case scenario, as Cornelia hated being annoyed to do something stupid like break up quarreling siblings, and she was not at all kind in the way she went about doing it. Lelouch had learned by now that sometimes it was better to just back off before Euphemia got the older princess involved.

It was a nice day, so Lelouch and Clovis were playing outside, at a table. Euphemia sat watching them. Schneizel sat across from her, his back to all of them, his head propped in his hand, reading. Incidentally, he was the only one whose feet touched the ground.

Lelouch was feeling pretty confident today. He was certain that he'd figured out Clovis well enough to take the older boy down.

And, in fact, he was winning, quite decisively. A pleased smile slipped across his face as he realized that this would be the first time he'd won at chess. Even Schneizel had turned around and was watching as Lelouch moved his queen.

This was it! Clovis was going to fall for it!

Schneizel moved one of Clovis's pieces, then went back to his book.

Lelouch's smile faded.

Schneizel moved for Clovis every once in a while, if he felt so inclined. Lelouch was getting increasingly frustrated, for every time Schneizel moved, he stole away what should have been a sure path to victory. After the fifth time or so, Lelouch finally said in annoyance,

"How come you keep helping him and not me?"

"You don't need my help", Schneizel replied.

Lelouch, already in an irritated mood, was further irritated by the fact that Schneizel wasn't even looking at him as they conversed.

"How come you always act so bored and uninterested?!"

Schneizel glanced up. The two brothers looked each other in the eye. Then the elder said flatly, "Because I _am_ bored and uninterested."

The straightforwardness of this response took Lelouch by surprise.

"You have nothing to worry about", said Clovis, "I can beat him with or without your help." He picked up a white rook. "I can handle Lelouch."

No...not this time. Lelouch was _not _going to lose this time!

He felt a hand on his arm. It was Euphemia. "If you lose, you don't have to feel bad, because you haven't even known how to play for very long."

"I may not have known for very long, but I learn fast", he replied. "You watch, Euphie. I'm going to win_, if a certain person stops getting in the way!" _

The certain person replied, "I won't interfere."

"And no giving hints, either!" said Lelouch.

"I won't interfere", Schneizel said again.

With Schneizel at bay, Lelouch knocked out Clovis in about six more moves.

Clovis stared at the board in shock. Euphemia clapped her hands. "You won, Lelouch!"

Lelouch couldn't help but let a victorious smirk slide across his face.

"Although I'm surprised", said Clovis graciously, "I give this game to you, brother. Good job."

"You too", Lelouch replied.

Schneizel said suddenly, "Do you want to play _me_, Lelouch?"

This surprised all three of the others. The idea of the fifteen-year-old Second Prince playing a five-year-old seemed absurd.

Still, Lelouch wasn't about to turn down a challenge. "I'm black."

"As you wish", Schneizel replied, as he and Clovis switched places, "But you do know that you'll start out at a disadvantage, don't you?"

"I beat brother Clovis with black", said Lelouch, "And I'll beat _you_ with black, too." The two set up their pieces.

"Overconfidence and pride have been the downfall of many", was all Schneizel said.

In the end, Schneizel proved too much to handle. When Lelouch thought he was gaining the advantage, Schneizel would wipe out his progress, with seemingly no effort at all. Occasionally, he gave the younger boy advice, if Lelouch seemed to be deliberating a long time on a move.

Lelouch lost. What made it worse was that Lelouch got the feeling that Schneizel had been going easy on him. Schneizel had been putting forth a minimum of effort, while Lelouch had been trying his hardest, and if he was going to get stomped into the dirt, then he at least wanted his opponent to give it everything they had. To be looked down on in such a manner was nothing short of humiliating.

"You seem to have a talent for this", said Schneizel, "Just remember the things I told you."

"Brother Schneizel, I want to play you!" said Euphemia. When Lelouch didn't vacate his seat quickly enough, she squeezed next to him.

Lelouch wasn't an idiot. He knew that, considering the age difference, Schneizel could have been a half-wit and probably still would have beaten him. It was just the _way_ he'd been beaten that irked him, like he was being disregarded and underestimated.

Humph. Sure, he couldn't beat Schneizel today. But he would someday!

* * *

And that's the end of Lelouch's first chapter. He'll be even chapters and the other Lelouch will be odds.

I know that Lelouch is good at chess. But in this chapter he'd only recently learned how to play. You're not going to be a master when you first learn.


	3. First Stage: Lelouch 2

Thank you to The Vampire of Britannia and icarus923 for reviewing!

The posting of this chapter marks the one year anniversary of my return to fanfiction. It doesn't even feel that long to me. Oh well. Along with this, I also celebrated by getting Code Geass wallpaper for my cell phone. In it, Lelouch looks like a bishie badass.

By the way, the chapters are meant to go together in pairs. You should assume that whatever Lelouch 2 is doing is happening around the same time as whatever Lelouch 1 was doing. Just to give you an idea of the timeline.

And I apologize if this story gets confusing. If you're having a hard time following, just tell me.

* * *

Lelouch was five years old. He was in kindergarten. He knew most of his letters and numbers and colors and shapes. Three-letter words were about the extent of his reading ability. He could barely write his own name, much less to say even pronounce it. Lelouch. His tongue stumbled over it. Lelouch had gained one final sibling, a sister. However, his sister was older than Nunnally, so their mother hadn't had the opportunity to borrow Marianne vi Britannia's choice of names a second time. This was probably a good thing, because then it would have been just a little too uncanny.

In this five year period of time, the family had upgraded to a four-bedroom house. Britannia was out conquering, its economy was good, and its people were doing well for themselves.

The mother stayed at home and the father had a job with the government, as part of the Office of Area Affairs (OAA), which, as the name suggests, oversaw the affairs of the different Areas of the Holy Britannian Empire. The father worked in the Britannian Settlement Bureau, a subdivision of the OAA, whose job it was to keep track of Britannians living in the Areas, as well as trying to provide incentive for more Britannians to migrate from the homeland. Many Britannians were reluctant to leave their comfortable existence to go to some strange, potentially unstable place where they were outnumbered by---well, Numbers---so it often took very _big_ incentives, dealings that greatly favored them, usually to the disadvantage of the locals.

But it's not as though Lelouch could honestly care about any of that. Sometimes his father talked about work, but to Lelouch it was boring adult stuff so he often ignored it. He preferred to play with his brothers than listen about his father's day.

The brother he was closest to was the brother he was closest in age to. They were only two years apart. This was his brother Zane (another tabloid name), with whom he also shared a room. Zane taught him all sorts of important things, like how to hawk loogies, climb trees, and gross out girls. However, he had abandoned the last one, since it had backfired once. The girl had found his antics endearing and kissed him (which Lelouch had found quite funny).

Their current game, however, required some assistance from their sister. The boys had kidnapped one of her dolls and were currently in their room, playing doctor on it. At least, that was what they told their mother the name of the game was. Really, they were just trying to see if they could make the doll's head and limbs pop off.

"Won't Sophie be upset if we hurt her doll?" asked Lelouch, the observer.

"It's not like she's old enough to care", replied Zane, the dissector, "I bet she won't even miss it."

"But---"

They both seemed startled when the doll's head suddenly came off.

They stared at it.

"It came off", said Lelouch, as though he had to state the obvious for it to be true.

"Yeah."

"Can it go back on?"

"Are you stupid? Of course it can. If it can come off, it can go back on."

This offended Lelouch, being called 'stupid'. "You're the stupid one, stupid! You're the one who broke it!"

"Shut up! Stop yelling or everyone'll hear you!"

"I don't care! You broke Sophie's doll!"

"I didn't 'break' it."

"It has no head."

"You can live without a head."

"No you can't! Because your head's where your brain is!" Lelouch argued.

"How do you know?" Zane countered, "Just because they tell you it's there doesn't mean it really is. Have you ever _seen _your brain? If you've never seen it, then how do you know it's in your head? How do you know it even exists? That's why you're stupid, Lelouch. Everyone could be lying to you and you'd believe them."

Now, for a five-year-old boy, this was a pretty big mind screw.

"Shut up! I'd know if I'm being lied to! _You're _the one who's lying!"

"Of course you'd think I'm lying, because I'm your brother. I could be telling the truth and the rest of the world could be lying, and you'd believe the rest of the world, wouldn't you, Lelouch? Mother and Father could lie to you and you'd believe them. You'd completely fall for it, just because they're your parents. Stupid." Zane was unsuccessfully trying to reattach the doll's head.

"Mother and Father wouldn't lie to me."

"Idiot. Parents lie to their children all the time. And Mother and Father lie to you. They say what they're supposed to say, even if they don't mean it. They might say 'I love you' even if they don't. But you're supposed to love your kids, so sometimes they're only pretending. Britannia lies. How do you think we win all the time? We say 'It's okay. Let's get along.' Then when they're not ready we attack them and make them an Area. Then they whine and say, 'But you said we were friends.' And Britannia says, 'Friends? No one ever called us friends. We just said we'd get along with you, and we can only get along with other countries if they're part of us.' They're so stupid. You'd think someone would figure us out by now and do something. Since they're not even trying, obviously it's not a big deal to them."

"If they haven't figured out a way to beat Britannia, then what's the point in trying?" Lelouch replied, "Britannians are smarter than Numbers."

"Everyone knows that."

"So. If Britannians are smarter than Numbers, then who's smarter than Britannians? Is it the Chinese or the Europeans? Or the Japanese? Or---"

"None of them!" Zane interrupted, "The only reason they're not part of Britannia yet is because we've been nice and haven't bothered them. We could beat them if we wanted to, but why would we want to waste our army and make _those _people part of Britannia? They would only drag down the rest of the Empire."

This made perfect sense to Lelouch.

"So then does that mean Britannians are the smartest ones of all?"

"The only ones smarter than Britannians are other Britannians." Zane gave up and just left the doll headless. "Do you think anyone will notice?"

* * *

Canon characters will start being introduced and/or mentioned from now on---for both Lelouchs. Just a heads up.


	4. Second Stage: Lelouch 1

Thank you for The Vampire of Britannia and icarus923 for reviewing!

Is Pendragon the name of the capital city or the palace? I was never really clear on that.

* * *

2006 a.t.b.

"Do you mind if I borrow your son for a while?"

Marianne was surprised, but not necessarily opposed. What surprised her more than the request itself was the identity of the person making the request.

She went and got her son and told him that someone had come, and Lelouch was just as surprised as she when he saw who it was.

"Big brother Schneizel!"

"Hello, Lelouch." As he whisked the younger prince away, he said, "There is a matter with which I require your assistance."

"You need _my _help?" Lelouch's mind was racing. He couldn't even imagine what Schneizel would be incapable of accomplishing that Lelouch would be able to do.

"Yes. It is very urgent." Lelouch could tell. He didn't even know that Schneizel was capable of moving so quickly. Was the Second Prince going to break into a _run_ next? Lelouch was kind of hoping for it, just for the sake of seeing such a rare sight.

"This will be your first test as a prince of Britannia", said Schneizel when they arrived at their location, another part of the Pendragon Palace. He rested a hand on Lelouch's shoulder. "If you fail, I will be disgraced, and our entire family will be a laughingstock. Do you understand the seriousness of this matter?"

Lelouch was feeling anxious. What kind of trouble had Schneizel gotten himself into?!

"You'll understand what's expected of you as soon as you enter this room", said Schneizel. "Please, go through. We're late as it is."

Lelouch looked up at Schneizel nervously, but the blonde boy's face was impassive. He opened the door and went inside.

He saw the chessboard, and he knew what he needed to do. He was confused as to the reason, but he knew.

He heard Schneizel come in and close the door behind him. He was still rather confused as to what was going on, but he didn't dwell on it. He trusted Schneizel. So, he turned his attention to the game at hand. He was black---unsurprising.

As the game progressed, however, Lelouch began to grow worried. His opponent was quite good. If this person was close to Schneizel's level of skill, Lelouch might lose, and from Schneizel's urgency, it seemed like something big was riding on this game. Lelouch couldn't help but wonder what it was.

Actually, now that he thought on it, he was going to ask, as soon as this game was over. Schneizel at least owed him an answer.

His uncertainty about victory remained with him until near the end, when a strategy suddenly formed in his mind. It all ran through his head---moves, countermoves, and the final prize, the white king. He almost felt sorry for this guy---but not sorry enough to not smash him into the dirt.

No. He had to contain himself. If he let on that he'd come up with something clever, his opponent might pick up on it and move in a way Lelouch wasn't expecting.

He managed to keep a poker face until the endgame. A victorious smirk slipped out and spread across the boy's face, and only then did his opponent realize the trap.

"Checkmate", said Lelouch decisively.

His opponent looked crestfallen.

"Earl Kanon Maldini", said Schneizel, coming to stand at Lelouch's side, "A young child beat you, as I promised would happen. I win our bet."

"You had this arranged from the beginning, Prince Schneizel", Kanon groaned, "That could constitute as cheating."

"What a terrible accusation. I was merely taking advantage of the resources available to me."

Lelouch realized that he'd been played for a fool as much as Kanon had. "This was a set-up! What kind of bet did you make, anyway?!"

"You needn't be concerned about it", Schneizel replied dismissively.

There was no one who Lelouch admired more than Schneizel. There was no one who pissed Lelouch off more than Schneizel. Always_, always_...Schneizel _always _made Lelouch look like a fool!

* * *

I really have no idea why I randomly threw Kanon in here. *shrugs*


	5. Second Stage: Lelouch 2

Thank you to Lost In A Dark Wood, icarus923, and Lilyflower1987 for reviewing!

It's kind of hard to explain where this is going without revealing too much. But I if I had to say, the lines I was thinking along were more---could Lelouch still have turned out the same way even if his mother had not been killed? Was it really that event that gave birth to his darker side, or would growing up in Britannia have made it possible for him to be a terrifying force regardless?

Because, I mean really, when you think about, Britannian society is pretty merciless. And it's usually not just one event in a person's life that defines them. It's a culmination of events and influences over time that gives you the final product. If Lelouch had grown up in different circumstances, he would have been a different person---but fundamentally, a lot of aspects of him would have been the same. I think that's pretty clear on my thought process. I hope that things will make much more sense now.

So, on that note, here's Chapter 5.

* * *

"---_the establishment of Area Nine was announced today---_"

The TV was going in the background as Lelouch sat at the dining room table doing his homework. Or trying to, at least.

In his irritation Lelouch got down from his chair and went into the living room, where his father was watching the evening news. "Father, the TV's too loud!"

"This is important stuff, son. These are things that will affect your life."

"I don't care about Area Nine! I just want to get my homework done!"

The father looked at the time on the TV. He looked at his watch, to doublecheck. Then he looked at his son. "What grade are you in again?"

"I'm in first, Father! Don't you even know?"

"How can you possibly, at your age, have homework so difficult that you don't have it done by now?"

"It's not that it's difficult", Lelouch replied, "I just didn't start on it until a short while ago."

"You should have done it earlier."

Lelouch remembered something. "Oh, Father. I need you to sign something." Lelouch ran and grabbed his textbook off the table and brought it into the living room, sitting on the couch next to his father, who was watching him curiously.

Lelouch pulled a piece of paper out of the inside cover of his textbook.

"Don't stick papers in your books", his father scolded, as Lelouch handed the paper over, "If it gets damaged, I'll have to pay for it." He looked at what he'd been given. "Lelouch, what is this?"

"I failed an assignment, so you have to sign it."

The father read and reread it. Then:

"Lelouch..."

"Now wait, Father! Before you get mad, I want to tell you something! My teacher failed me just because she didn't like my handwriting, even though I got all the answers right! See?"

The father didn't respond. It was making Lelouch nervous. Then:

"Lelouch."

"What?"

"You feel that she was incorrect to do this?"

Something in his father's tone was ominous. Lelouch could sense that he was in trouble, but he wasn't sure what he'd done wrong.

"You'll have to improve your handwriting", said his father, "Because I had better _never _see anything like this again. Ever."

"But I was right---"

"You were wrong."

"No, my teacher is wrong! It's not right that she would fail me over something like this."

"It doesn't matter what you feel is right and wrong", his father replied, "What matters is what the world thinks. If every person went by their own sense of justice, what kind of world would this be? It doesn't matter how you feel about it. If your superior tells you to do something, then you do it, no matter your personal feelings. That is order."

Lelouch was fuming. Every part of him disagreed. She was wrong, and he knew it. "But if your superiors are wrong, then you shouldn't listen to them anymore."

"What are you saying, Lelouch?" The father shook his head. "What the hell sorts of things are they teaching you at that school?"

"It's not anything anyone taught me", Lelouch replied, "I thought of it on my own."

"Well, you had better quell that nonsense now. It will only get you into trouble."

* * *

Anyway. That's that.


	6. Third Stage: Lelouch 1

Thanks to sparkletofhope, ryder77, The Vampire of Britannia, and Onichun for reviewing!

Actually, the lack of description for Lelouch 2 was intentional. I felt that it would be better if it was left more to the individual reader's imagination.

And, I will try to write longer chapters! Though, the chapters will be getting longer anyway, as stuff starts happening. Did I talk about this earlier? I can't recall.

Anyway, here's Chapter 6.

* * *

One day when Lelouch was seven, there was a visitor to Aries Villa. Two, to be exact. Now, this was nothing odd, because important people visited his relatives all the time.

The elderly Earl Ashford had come to call on his mother. This was nothing unusual because he and Marianne were long-standing allies. What made today unusual was that Earl Ashford was accompanied by a little blonde girl.

"Lelouch", said his mother, "This is Milly Ashford, Earl Ashford's granddaughter. Do you mind making her feel welcome while we adults talk?"

"Sure, Mother. I don't mind." If she asked it of him, he'd do it without complaint. He liked for his mother to be happy.

"Hello, Milly", he said to the blonde girl, "I'm Lelouch vi Britannia, the Eleventh Prince."

She seemed nervous and shy as she curtsied. "Hello, Your Highness. It's an honor to make your acquaintance."

Lelouch felt bad about her awkwardness and anxiety, so he said, "I think you look pretty."

Obviously, that didn't help anything. It only made her face turn bright red. "I...I'm honored, Your Highness."

Lelouch had never before met someone around his own age who was not related to him. Even if she was a girl, the fact that she was an outsider intrigued him. He knew that there had to be other people his age out there---it made logical sense---but it felt as though he was in a different plane of existence from them, that they lived in a world he could never be a part of. This girl, Milly, was an outsider. She was a link to the other world, which other people lived in. This was a chance to be part of it, even if just a little.

Lelouch had never been curious until now, when the reality---that his reality wasn't the reality for most people---had just smacked him in the face. For the first time, he felt the overwhelming desire to be friends with someone.

Friends...they were things that an Imperial Prince did not need. They were not encouraged. Social lines made it difficult, and they'd have to be eliminated if they disagreed with you or got in your way, so there really wasn't much point in making the effort in the first place, unless it was for your own gain.

But other children his age had friends, didn't they? Maybe it was something worth considering.

He decided right then that he'd try to make friends. But how did you go about making friends, exactly? He couldn't order her to. Well, actually, he could, but she wouldn't really be his friend if she'd been forced, right?

"Am I annoying you, Your Highness? I'll go, if it bothers you---"

"No, wait!" Lelouch grabbed her arm. She seemed surprised.

"What is it, Your Highness?"

Her tone spoke of utter politeness and formality, but he noticed that she stood as far away from him as she possibly could, and there seemed to be something insincere about everything she said. It bothered him, so he decided to try to ease the formalities to make things less awkward.

"Not 'Your Highness'. Call me Lelouch."

She seemed both startled and suspicious at his familiarity attempt. "I could never call you that. That would be disrespectful---"

"It would be even more disrespectful if you defy me!" he snapped. Mentally, he scolded himself for the sudden outburst. _Don't be bossy. Don't be demanding. Be friendly. _

Unfortunately, 'friendly' wasn't really a method of social interaction that he had a lot of experience with, especially when it came to people of lower classes.

He tried to save the situation. "I mean...you can call me whatever makes you feel most comfortable. My mother told me to make you feel welcome, so you should do whatever makes you happy." He felt somewhat stupid saying things like that, and felt even more embarrassed when Milly didn't say anything.

"...whatever makes me happy?" she said finally, talking more to herself than to him. She looked as though such a thing had never even occurred to her before. Then their eyes met and she said, "Are _you_ happy?"

It was his turn to be bewildered. "I...suppose so." He realized that he didn't sound completely sure, and hoped she hadn't picked up on it. He tried to turn the question back on her. "Are you?"

She, in turn, used his own response against him. "I suppose so."

He knew she was lying, and she knew that she was lying. He also knew that she was aware that he knew she was lying. Was she just messing with him?

"Well, maybe there's _some _things that could be improved on", Lelouch said after an awkward silence.

"Is that so? Well, maybe I feel the same way", she replied, "People should be able to show their true nature."

"True nature?"

"Well, I mean...I mean, you don't want to be the Eleventh Prince all the time, do you? Don't you ever want to be just Lelouch?"

"Just Lelouch...?" Lelouch thought about it. "I'm not sure if I've ever been just Lelouch before." He felt then that he had revealed some deep, dark secret and quickly retaliated, "Well, have you ever been just Milly before?"

"I don't think so", she replied, "Because Milly would only study if she had to, not all the time. Milly would rather have fun with her friends. But the daughter of an important family should be a distinguished lady, not Milly. Because Milly's not anyone important."

"That's not true!" Lelouch said suddenly, "Milly is who you are! That's why you're important!"

"Really? So if you weren't royalty you'd still be important?"

That stopped the words dead in Lelouch's mouth, for he had no answer. He knew, deep down, though he'd never admit it, that the only reason he was important was _because _he was the Eleventh Prince, not because he was Lelouch.

"Everyone lies", said Milly, "Their hide their true nature and just pretend. Life is like a play. Everyone just plays the role they're supposed to, regardless of whether they like it."

It wasn't true. That wasn't how most people were. He tried to tell himself that. As he encountered various members of the court over the days and over the weeks, however, he felt a nagging in the back of his mind. The important nobility who hung around his father, who sent him respectful bows at the sight of him. The other imperial wives, who sent him cordial, tight-lipped smiles. The guards and servants, who fawned over him and praised him.

They were all just playing the part...and so was he.

* * *

Naturally, Lelouch and Milly weren't friends yet. It seems to me that Lelouch has always been the sort who has a hard time getting along with others (at least at first). His and Suzaku's first meeting is a great example.


	7. Third Stage: Lelouch 2

Thank you to The Vampire of Britannia, ryder77, and Dreammaker Twilight for reviewing.

Here's Chapter 7.

* * *

When Lelouch was in second grade, there was a new student one day. Lelouch didn't pay much attention as she was introduced. She was a girl, anyway, a little redhead, and girls weren't very fun to play with.

Since he was the best student in his class, though, he was the one the teacher asked to show the new girl around. It was obvious there was no way out of it, so he did it, albeit reluctantly.

This girl didn't help his irritable mood. At all. He was just trying to do what he was told and show her around the school, but all she wanted to do was talk. And make friends. And talk. And not only was she talking, but it was mindless chatter. Sometimes she even forgot what she was talking about halfway through a sentence, so she would start talking about something else. Plus, she seemed kind of...spacey.

All in all, Lelouch's first impression was that she was obnoxious. Very, _very _obnoxious. As in, 'this was the first time he'd wanted to hit a girl' sort of obnoxious.

There was only so much he could take.

"Don't you ever shut up?!"

She had the bewildered look of someone who'd just been slapped across the face.

"I...I'm sorry", she said quietly. She seemed truly remorseful and looked like she was about to cry. Lelouch felt suddenly guilty about snapping at her.

"No, _I'm_ sorry", he mumbled, "It's not you. I was already in a bad mood. Really." When she didn't answer, he was afraid she knew that he was lying, and said quickly, "Uh, what's your name again?"

"Shirley Fenette", was the tentative reply. As Lelouch was about to introduce himself, she said, "I heard what the teacher said. Your name's Lelouch. Oh! Should I call you Lelouch? Or---"

"Lelouch is my name, so that's why you should call me", he replied dismissively. He didn't want to her to get the wrong idea and call him by some stupid nickname, so he settled the issue right then and there.

"Lelouch", she said, "Lelou...?"

Oh no, was she trying for a nickname anyway? He didn't know her well enough to predict what sort of thing she'd come up with, and didn't really want to dwell on the wide world of nicknaming possibilities.

"I go by Lelouch", he said quite firmly. He wasn't sure how to make it any clearer.

"Okay", she said, and he was kind of surprised that she agreed so readily.

They continued their tour, but sometimes she got curious and wandered off, in which case Lelouch had to retrieve her. He quickly tired of this, and he finally grabbed her hand just to make sure she stayed with him.

"You shouldn't wander off", he scolded, "You don't even know your way around."

She didn't say anything. For such a chatty girl, she'd shut up rather quickly, and Lelouch was grateful. After passing several classrooms, however, he began to grow suspicious of her silence, and looked over his shoulder at her. Her face turned bright red as soon as he looked at her.

He stopped, confused. What was with this girl?!

"What's the matter, Shirley?"

"It's...just...you're holding my hand."

Now Lelouch could feel a flush creeping over _his_ face. What? That was the problem? But he'd only done that because she was an airhead and kept getting lost! Surely...no...there was no way...she couldn't _possibly_ have interpreted it as...

His face was burning, as both he and Shirley were now both thinking along the same lines.

"I---that is---just come on", he muttered.

* * *

I told you more canon characters would be coming in.


	8. Fourth Stage: Lelouch 1

Thank you for your reviews, they make me happier than I can express in words. :-)

* * *

"Lelouch", said Euphemia, "I'm going to be your wife."

What had brought about such a stunning declaration? Even Lelouch himself wasn't sure. And here he'd thought she was just hanging around him because she liked him---but not in _that way. _

Euphemia was the sibling closest in age to Lelouch. She liked to tackle him to the ground in greeting, whether from the front or from behind. She was in general very handsy---hugging him, playing with his hair, holding his hand as she darted here, there, and everywhere. She was a source of boundless energy and cheeriness. Just being _around_ her made Lelouch feel tired.

One Euphemia was bad enough. But the Third Princess was molding a disciple in her image---Nunnally, who was often with them, since she'd become quite clingy when it came to Lelouch.

Nunnally was old enough and big enough to do a lot of things that she couldn't do before, but she was timid, so she looked to her older brother for support. The way she clung to him, someone might as well have finished the job and superglued the two together. She tended to be very trusting and so was easily led.

Like by Euphemia, for instance.

Since she was around Euphemia the most of any of her siblings except Lelouch, Nunnally was the most heavily influenced by her. Euphemia would talk about her vision of the world's future (of course, it was hard to tell if she was being realistic or had merely drifted into a fantasy world. Lelouch thought it was the latter). He listened politely but found many flaws in her reasoning. Nunnally couldn't tell the difference between wishful thinking and reality, so she took everything to be the truth.

"Can you really make a gentle and happy world?" Nunnally had asked.

"Of course you can!" Euphemia had replied, "When I get older, I'll make that kind of world! Wait and see!"

Lelouch had stayed out of this discussion. There was no reason to provoke an argument about the best way to change the world (even though he'd win).

Still. Euphemia was impulsive, so she could be hard to predict. Like on this day, when she had made her sudden declaration.

"Lelouch, I'm going to be your wife."

"What?" Surely he hadn't heard that right.

"I'm going to be your wife", she repeated, hugging his arm.

Surely this was some shock value statement meant to get his attention. Well, she'd gotten it...

"Wouldn't that be cute, Lelouch?" said Euphemia, "Then we could be together all the time! We could spend every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year of every decade together! And then we'd still be together even after we die!"

Lelouch had the look of cornered prey.

"No!" said Nunnally harshly. Her sudden display of defiance was surprising to both the other royals, since she usually just went along with what others said.

"It's all right, Nunnally", said Euphemia, "Of course you're invited to the wedding."

"There won't be any wedding", said Nunnally, grabbing Lelouch's other arm and pulling him towards her. "That's selfish to think you can have him all to yourself."

"Why's that?"

_"Because_. If someone wants to be in a relationship with _my_ brother, they have to get my permission first!"

"Why should they have to get your permission? Family members shouldn't be any obstacle to true love. Besides, I've known him longer than you!"

Nunnally was deeply insulted. "Well, then I guess that shows you're not worthy of him, because even though you've known him longer, he likes me better!"

Euphemia was stung. "You take it back!"

"No!"

"If you weren't his full-blooded sister, he wouldn't care about you at all!"

"I don't care", said Nunnally. She had her arms wrapped around Lelouch's chest, clinging to him protectively. "If marrying him means that no one else can have him, then _I'll_ marry him, for that reason!" Then she stuck her tongue out at her half-sister.

"You seem pretty stubborn about this", said Euphemia, "I guess there's only one thing to do."

Lelouch was really, _really_ hoping that neither of them would say---

"Lelouch, which do you like better, me or her?"

Both Nunnally and Euphemia were watching him expectantly, waiting for an answer.

Did the universe hate him?

He looked between the two girls. All possible outcomes were rushing through his mind.

If he answered 'Nunnally', then Euphemia would be angry.

If he answered 'Euphie', then Nunnally would be angry.

He didn't particularly want to anger either one (especially considering they could both outrun him). However, if he didn't answer at all, they'd interpret that to mean that he didn't like either one and would team up to beat him down. In a worst-case scenario, they might even conclude that there was a third party that he 'really' liked, and would forge a temporary alliance to find and destroy said third party.

Really, no matter what he did, he was screwed.

He decided that his best bet was to try to ease the tension of the situation by appeasing both girls.

"I like both of you", said Lelouch.

How could an eight-year-old boy have possibly known that this was the worst thing to say?

"Lelouch", said Euphemia, "How can you say something like that when people's feelings are at stake? You can't like both! You pick one person and stick with them! Lelouch, you're the worst!"

* * *

This chapter is dedicated to shippers everywhere.


	9. Fourth Stage: Lelouch 2

Sorry for the delay. I thought I was up to date on the chapters, but apparently not. Not to worry, though. The next update shouldn't take quite as long, since the next chapter is well under way and already twice as long as this one.

The Vampire of Britannia: Thanks, I hope you didn't get into too much trouble when you got caught in such a quagmire.

imaginedreams22, icarus923, anonymous reviewers: Thank you ^^

Myriad Lapse: The reason I divided the stages is because the chapters will get much longer, starting about---the next chapter actually. I knew this would happen, and I thought it would be too stressful on me to have to write both their stories at the same time. Sorry. It's just me, as the writer, trying not to feel overburdened. And I've been very careful to make sure nothing happens to contradict canon, since I'm not really keen on looking like an idiot and getting discredited. Also, I'm sorry my scarcity of details on Lelouch 2's appearance annoys you. I will reveal little things about him as the story goes on, but I personally feel that revealing too much about him at once would ruin it.

And with that...

* * *

"Lelouch, slow down!"

Shirley was far behind him and struggling to keep up.

"Hurry up, Shirley!" he replied brusquely, then continued on to his house.

He was just about to go in, but his hand froze on the knob to the front door. He changed his mind and stood around on the porch, waiting for her.

She finally straggled onto the porch a few minutes later. After she caught her breath, she said, "Why'd you have to run so fast, Lelouch? Even when I asked you to slow down? Are you embarrassed to be seen with me?"

Actually, that was the precise issue at hand. Lelouch was eight. He'd known Shirley for over a year now. There were a lot of things about her that still irritated him. However...

She didn't possess a great deal of common sense, but he could overlook that. She listened to him when he talked. A lot of people didn't take him seriously because of his age, up to and including his own younger sister. She didn't usually add in her own commentary, but then, she didn't need to. All he needed was to know that his thoughts were being acknowledged by another person. She had become his best friend...

...with the 'she' part being the problem at hand. The neighborhood brats already called him a sissy boy, since he kept to himself and didn't participate in their antics. He'd never hear the end of it if any of them found out that his best friend was a girl.

He was extra cautious to make sure that no one would see him and Shirley together. He assured himself again that no one had spotted them and ushered her inside, quickly following and closing the door behind him.

"You have a nice house", said Shirley, completely oblivious to the amount of trouble she was causing him. She set her bookbag down.

"Lelouch, is that you?" came his mother's voice.

"Yes. Mother, I brought that friend I told you about."

"How lovely", said his mother, as she came from the bowels of the house into the front hallway, "I'd love to meet hi---_her_." She looked at Shirley, and blinked, as though hoping she would suddenly change gender at second glance. "Hello."

"Hello!" said Shirley, still oblivious, "Nice to meet you."

"Mother, this is Shirley Fenette", said Lelouch, "Shirley, this is my mother."

"Shirley", his mother repeated.

Her strangeness was starting to irritate Lelouch, so he said, "It's not like she can help being female."

"Of course not", his mother replied, but she seemed annoyed somehow.

After all the niceties of introductions had been sufficiently completed, the two went further into the house.

"You have siblings, right, Lelouch? You're so lucky. I wish I had a brother or sister to play with."

"You can have a couple of mine, then. I've got some to spare."

"Lelouch, that's really not very nice."

The two went upstairs. "My parents' room is to the left", said Lelouch, "My sister's room is to the right." They went further down the hall. "This room to the left is the bathroom. On the right is my room. At then end of the hall are my brothers. Don't forget, because I won't say it again, and I don't want you to go into the wrong room by mistake." He stopped as he realized that she wasn't with him anymore. "Shirley?"

Why? Why did she always have to go off on her own?

"This would be a nice picture", she said, "But you're not smiling."

She was looking at a family portrait, hanging on the wall near the top of the staircase.

"I had no reason to smile", he replied.

"But just for the picture, couldn't you at least have faked it? You would have looked so much cuter."

Lelouch ignored the 'cute' comment. "Now you sound like my mother. I just think it's stupid to smile for no reason at all, okay?"

"But for the picture---"

"That's not a reason", he said, "Not to me, anyways. Why would I have wanted to smile anyways, when my mother was going _'Don't slouch, Lelouch_' and _'Fix your hair, Lelouch'_ and _'Lelouch, why's it so difficult for you to do one little thing'_ the entire time?"

"Oh." She looked disappointed. "Well, I like getting my picture taken, and taking pictures, too. It's fun. Can I take your picture, Lelouch? You don't even have to smile or anything."

"Why?"

"I just told you, didn't I? And pictures can last forever, even after you've forgotten the people in them or what happened that day." She grabbed his arm, which she was prone to doing when she was feeling particularly excited about something. "And maybe you could take pictures of me, too. Oh! Or maybe someone could take pictures of us together---"

"Why would I want to do that?" he replied, embarrassed.

She let go of him suddenly, looking annoyed. Oh, great. Now he'd offended her. "Well, that's just fine, then. I don't want to take pictures with you anyway."

"You've just contradicted yourself."

"I have not! A girl can change her mind if she wants, can't she?"

"In only a few seconds?"

"You have no manners at all", she replied briskly, "You don't know how to treat a lady."

"That's not true at all", Lelouch countered, "I'd know how to treat a lady, if I encountered one."

"You're so rude! And you're just---just---just a rude jerk!"

"You're the one with the mood swing problems."

"I don't have problems!" They scowled at each other, pretended to ignore each other, and scowled at each other again.

What was with girls and their emotional issues?

"Oh no, a lovers' quarrel." There was some snickering. Zane had opened the door to the bedroom he and Lelouch shared. The youngest of them, Sophie, was with him, and they were smirking.

In retrospect, things were not at all going the way Lelouch would have wished them to.

...

"So, have you kissed yet?" Zane said.

"Yeah, have you?" added Sophie.

It was dinnertime, but Lelouch wasn't eating much. His energies were devoted more to resisting the urge to leap across the table and throttle his older brother, who had been ruthlessly taunting him all afternoon.

Shirley had said that she needed to be home by five, and Lelouch's mother had offered to drive her (to scope out what sort of place she lived in, undoubtedly). However, Shirley's father came and got her. The fact that he drove a nice car had peaked his mother's interest, and she had given him a hard line of questioning on Shirley's family afterwards. Did her family have any status? Was there anyone noteworthy in her lineage, on either side? What was her family's income? What did her father do for a living? What sort of people did they acquaint themselves with? Of course, Lelouch hadn't the faintest idea, because why would he, an eight-year-old boy, have talked of such things with Shirley Fenette, an eight-year-old girl?

Zane finished eating, and intentionally walked all the way around the table so that he would pass by Lelouch. He ruffled his younger brother's hair, which Lelouch responded to with a glare. "It's all right, Lelouch. I think it's kind of cute that you have a little girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Lelouch yelled to his brother's back, "She's a---an associate! Who happens to be female!"

"Don't yell at the table, Lelouch", his mother said irritably.

"Yes, Lelouch, your girlfriend would be appalled at your ghastly table manners", said Zane, "She might even lose interest in you if you're not careful."

Why did his stupid brother insist on pushing him?! That jerk, looking so smug...Lelouch wanted so badly to wipe that smirk off his arrogant face!

If only looks could kill. Or at least drill holes into a certain stupid older brother's back. Yes, that would be nice.

* * *

Ah, the joy of older siblings...

Of course, in my family's case, I'm actually the jerkass older sibling. Go figure.


End file.
